


3 (+1)

by weatherchart



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Future, M/M, Not Beta Read, Reunions, dude hes so freaking homosexual his internal gay monologue is like half the word count, killua gay angst lol, maybe a throwaway line about leopika, sorry if the formatting sucks lol i did this on my phone, that’s his entire character in canon anyways
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27540127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatherchart/pseuds/weatherchart
Summary: It’s been three years since Killua and his sisters last saw Gon in person. Now they’re together again, and to say a lot has changed is an understatement.
Relationships: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	3 (+1)

A lot can happen in three years. 

Within just under 36 months, people inevitably change. They mature, they change paths, and if they’re in the right place and time, they fall in love. In three years’ time, an uncountable amount of stories begin and end. 

Killua had spent his most recent three years traveling the world with his younger sister, Alluka, picking up odd jobs here and there (some related to being a Hunter, some just needing a temporary extra hand). She had to pester Killua for over a year about it, but eventually he caved and taught her all of the basics of Nen, and filled with a brew of both anxiety and pride he watched her, too, pass the Hunter Exam. After maturing in functionally every other way, he had yet to grow socially, so traversing as far as they could go allowed him to meet all sorts of new people in cultures, for once outside of the heat of battle or the looming threat of terrorism or war. There were new languages to learn to speak and new cultures to seek understanding in, and he did it all by his sister’s side. Watching her live life to the fullest was the only source of sustenance he needed. 

Killua had lived his life for almost three years by his best friend Gon’s side, and now he’d gone another three without seeing him once. That had been a monumental decision, but a mutual one. Their once pure as flawless diamond relationship had grown past the point of codependent toxicity, and they needed time apart to grow and find themselves. Killua needed time with his sister, and as far as he knew, Gon needed the same with his dad. Killua had intentionally tried to break Gon’s heart that day. It was only fair, his having been broken more than once by that thick-headed boy Killua had fallen in love with at barely thirteen. Killua had called him second best, in the most nonchalant air he could muster without breaking character. He pretended that walking away with a smile was easy. Nevermind breaking down in a hotel room that night, overwhelmed with feelings of both emptiness and relief, all twisted up and knotted and pushing at his throat. He somehow both wished for and panicked at the idea of Gon doing the same thing. _At fourteen, nothing in the known universe can match the complexity of a boy’s feelings._

They had each other's phone numbers, and after a short period of trying to be strong and move on, they almost simultaneously reached out. It was hard for Killua to sound laid-back over the phone while his heart was doing backflips inside his chest at the sound of Gon’s voice, but at least it was easier than being in person and struggling to stand. Given the opportunity, though, Killua would have been more than willing to crash at Gon’s feet just to see him again. But time went on, and the separation anxiety and codependency that had ruled their lives for so long started to fade, and calls and texts became easier, as if they were just exchanges between two best friends whose shared trauma only extended so far as the general middle school experience. In their prime, they were texting every day and calling at least once a week. That then shifted to occasional texts and the mandatory monthly catch-up call, and then as they became busier with their separate lives and responsibilities they’d only text when they had a chance within a chance, and it was never much more than a medium-length conversation mostly consisting of dry, one word responses. Still, Gon never forgot a holiday or birthday, and at the very least would shoot a text and did his best to call. Killua always made sure to be available to receive it. 

-

Now, after three years, Killua and Alluka were on their way to Whale Island. The only person they’d contacted about their visit was Gon’s Aunt Mito- for once, the communication drought between the two boys had come in handy. They arrived quietly, concealed by the day-to-day tourists and locals en route to various mundane destinations. One such destination was Killua and Alluka’s target, a small corner store that (according to Aunt Mito) Gon had taken up working at. He didn’t need the money necessarily, but things were idle at home and he needed a place to occupy his head while pouring his heart back into the community in a down-low way. 

Killua checked the time on his phone. At approximately 12:45 PM, Gon would start his lunch break. Unbeknownst to him, he wouldn’t be returning to work that afternoon. Right on time, he pushed open a wooden door, ringing a little bell attached to the opening. 

-

Following an uneventful morning at the store, Gon’s guard was completely lowered (as it usually was- there wasn’t much to startle anyone on Whale Island). It was certainly out of the ordinary, even shocking, to see a tall, pale man with a waterfall of curly white hair standing over him, right outside the door. His presence was instantly recognizable, yet his appearance hesitated to line up with anyone he had in his mental catalogue. This person almost resembled…

“...Kite?” That wasn’t possible, of course, but who else... 

Killua cringed. “Man, do I really look that _old?_ ” He laughed a little, but it was tinged with insult that Gon didn’t guess right away. Killua had definitely changed in appearance over the time they’d been apart. He was tall now, a little taller than Illumi, but kept his slender frame from his early teen years. At Alluka’s (persistent) suggestion, he’d grown out his hair, it now ending somewhere between his shoulder blades and the bottom of his ribcage. Normally, he kept it in two sister-crafted dutch braids that controlled and protected it for combat, but today he’d left it loose. Between his stature, new style of clothing derived from the fashion of some of the cultures they’d visited, and his long white hair, Killua did have to admit he’d started to resemble a mini Kite. “I’m a little insulted you don’t recognize me from my scent.”

Oh, there it was! 

“KILLUA!!” 

Gon was right up under his nose. Killua was praying he couldn’t hear the sound of his heartbeat or feel the air start to steam around his body. Gon was so handsome now (how could he not be) and despite practically being a clone of his father, he was a bit taller, somewhere in the ballpark of 5’9 or so. At nearly 6’2, Killua felt _enormous_ next to him. The abundance of sunshine on the island had been good to him, and he’d cropped his hair closer to his head now. His eyes hadn’t changed at all. 

Before Killua was able to get lost in Gon’s appearance any further, he felt his friend’s arms wrap around him in a tight embrace, nothing lost on the word tight there. Killua had anticipated Gon to still be ridiculously strong and not entirely able to gauge how much force he used in that kind of situation, but he had no way of preparing for it. Gon could definitely feel Killua’s heart pounding as if it were trying to erupt from his chest now. 

“Took you long enough to figure out who I was.” Killua teased. Gon pouted, in whatever way an overgrown, 18 year old almost-man would. 

“Well, it took you long enough to show your face again! How am I supposed to recognize you when you look like that?”

“What, is that supposed to be an insult? You should look at yourself.” Killua was teasing, but after all this time he was afraid Gon’s humor may have shifted and jokes wouldn’t land. To his relief, Gon threw his head back with laughter. To Killua, it was like revisiting a childhood lullaby. The tension in the air (was it only on Killua’s side?) faded just a little. Maybe, just maybe they’d slip back into the same best friends role. 

Then again...their cataclysmic relationship was part of the reason for parting, right? They each needed to fix their own issues so that things wouldn’t end up dangerously toxic again. The goal had been to grow, of course. Had Gon grown in a direction away from the boy who used to be his best friend? 

“...Killua? Are you there?” If Gon had been under his nose before, he was now past an arm’s reach, most likely to give Killua space after realizing he’d spaced out. “D’you wanna...head somewhere else?”

He had a point. It was the weekend, and the marketplace at Whale Island was packed with vendors and tourists alike. He probably stuck out, too. Finding a calmer and more private place to catch up was a smart idea. 

“S-sure. Take me wherever.”

-

‘Wherever’ was about 20 minutes north of the marketplace, across a sparsely tread trail that led through a forest into a pretty clearing, well suited for the eternal wild child that was Gon Freecss. The latter was a few paces ahead, deep in conversation with Alluka about something Killua hadn’t been paying attention to. The pattern of sunshine filtering through tree leaves on the forest floor was hypnotic and invited daydreams or contemplations. Before he could process that observation, they’d stopped.

“...yeah! I used to come here with my girlfriend all the time before winter hit. You can’t really get around that bend once it fills with snow, but it’s nice to come up here when it’s warm enough to climb…” Gon’s rambling to Alluka fell short of Killua’s ears after he said that word.

 _Girlfriend._ An icy arrow shot through Killua’s heart and dragged it down into his shoes.

_Girlfriend._

**_Girlfriend._**

Of course. Gon was attractive, far more than Killua would ever admit to anyone. It was no surprise that he’d be the object of affection for every girl on the island within his age group (and, historically, outside of it too). Killua should have expected Gon to move on from whatever they had those years ago and be a normal teenage boy. That’s assuming, of course, that they ever _had_ anything. Killua was almost certain that his feelings were unreciprocated both back then and now. 

“...Killua, come on! You haven’t paid attention to Gon this entire time! Some kind of loooooser friend you are.” Alluka was sixteen, and had nearly dropped the “big brother” tendency, except anytime they were arguing or she wanted to tease him. Just like he feared, she had it out to mess with him this entire visit. She was well aware of Killua’s feelings, and, like a true little sister, she was going to exploit it as much as possible. 

“Okay, okay. I’m coming.”

**Author's Note:**

> Lol so this is my first ever fic and i have a huge motivation problem so instead of just a one shot i’m posting this in chapters so I can have motivation to keep writing! Please go easy on me for my first time lol. Thank you for reading!!


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